


Treasures

by Robiness



Series: 13 (Oops, I mean 7) Shots for Fair Game (Valentine's Day 2020) [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheesy, Flirting, Fluff, Gay Disaster Clover Ebi, M/M, Neighbors, Pre-Relationship, Single Parent Clover Ebi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robiness/pseuds/Robiness
Summary: Clover Ebi is good at being a single dad to his little charm, but is very bad at flirting with the hot new neighbour.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: 13 (Oops, I mean 7) Shots for Fair Game (Valentine's Day 2020) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633228
Comments: 11
Kudos: 118





	Treasures

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, it's already Valentine's Day where I live. Since I'm single and Fair Game trash, I decided to give myself a little writing challenge.
> 
> Rules:  
> 1\. Upload 13 COMPLETE works. (No updating current works, no starting new works)  
> 2\. I can only work on the next fic after I upload the previous one.  
> 3\. Deadline: Feb 14, 23:59 in Pago Pago, American Samoa (last inhabited time zone of the world)  
> 4\. Any editing will be done ONLY AFTER I upload all thirteen fics. (aka incentive, bc I will spend days after uploads just nitpicking)  
> 5\. Breaks are fine!! But no working on other fics during those breaks >:)
> 
> So yeah, I hate myself but I love Fair Game!! Enjoy!! They deserve this!! We deserve this!!

Early Saturday morning, Clover rushed back to his apartment, all the while trying not to run. Once inside, he leaned against the door, covering his face with his hands.

“Papa!” 

Heather, his three-year-old daughter, toddled all the way to him with her short but determined legs. Immediately calming down, he lifted her up to carry at his hip and pressed multiple kisses on her cheeks, making her giggle.

“I thought I told you to stay at the table,” he admonished, tucking her ginger braids behind her ears.

“You took too long. Papa, why are your cheeks red?”

On cue, Clover felt his brush spread again as he recalled his morning. “Papa just got shy when he saw someone, don’t worry.” He tried to nuzzle her nose, but this time, she pushed his face away in complaint. 

“The new neighbour?”

He put her down so that he had an excuse to look elsewhere, ushering her back to the kitchen island. “Yup, I bumped into him near that big area where we throw the garbage.”

“Were you hurt?”

“Hu–? Oh, I only meant that we saw each other there without meaning to, little charm.”

“Is that why you take the trash out in the mornings now?”

Clover immediately turned to the stove, though he probably didn’t need it, seeing as his face felt like a literal open flame _._

“Uh, Papa just has a little more time now in the morning, Heather.”

“Oh. Auntie Winter says you really like the new neighbour.”

 _Auntie Winter isn’t going to get that birthday gift she wanted_ , he thought. “But he just got here, so why wouldn’t I like him, little charm?”

Heather nodded, as if she understood what was unsaid. Considering her admirable and sometimes scary intelligence, she probably did.

_Meaning your toddler can see how much of a disaster you are, Ebi. A plus parenting._

“He’s pretty,” she declared after they finished breakfast and she wiped her face with the napkin Clover handed her. 

Clover stifled a groan. “He is, isn’t he?” he agreed miserably.

* * *

A week ago, Clover had the years-old habit of taking his trash out the night before the trucks came, so that he didn’t have to rush so much in the morning. He was a single parent, he would take all the time he could get from wherever he could get it.

Then he got a glimpse of the new neighbour with the red eyes, and the messy black hair and the rugged, careless yet _really hot_ way he carried himself. Suddenly, that extra hour in the morning paled in comparison to his desire to get to know the man.

 _Just to get to know him!_ After all, he had his hands happily full with his little charm. He would flirt a bit, as he usually did, and leave the conversation with a good friend at best, and a neighbour to avoid at worst. The latter hadn't happened yet!

With that resolution, Clover managed to make himself initiate actual interaction.

“Hey, neighbour!” he cheerily called as they headed towards the large bins.

The other man was wearing a hoodie that almost swamped him, thin wrists and slender hands peeking out. He blinked at Clover as if he wasn’t quite awake yet.

 _Cute_.

“Uh, hi.” _God, he has a raspy voice. Beautiful men with low, raspy voices exist? That should be illegal. This man ought to be arrested._

It was Clover’s turn to blink, and it probably didn’t have the same effect on the other guy.

And so they just... stayed there, looking at each other.

_Oh damn, I forgot to continue the conversation._

“That’s…” he tried. “That’s a lot of trash you got there.”

Clover wanted to kick his own face. He should've just stayed quiet, at least he was sure he _looked_ good.

“Uh,” replied his neighbour, looking down at his baggage. “Yeah, house-warming party yesterday. You know.”

“I hope it is.”

“Huh?”

Clover forced a smile, realizing how years of parenting and not dating got to a person. “Your apartment. I hope it’s...warm.” 

Despite it all, he was blessed with an half-amused, half-bemused expression. 

“I’m Qrow,” the more functional adult said, looking far more awake now. “Qrow Branwen. I moved here a while ago.”

“Qrow,” Clover repeated, liking how the name felt on his tongue. “I’m Clover Ebi. I’d shake your hand, but…” Grinning sheepishly, he lifted his black bag.

They continued walking. “Which one’s yours?” Qrow asked, gesturing to their complex.

“Three doors from you,” Clover automatically responded. “My daughter got excited by the moving vans.”

Shoulders slumping a tiny bit, Qrow looked away. “Oh, a daughter? How old is she?”

_Does he not like kids? That’s… a deal-breaker, if so._

“She’s three and so smart,” he said, injecting as much pride and joy in his tone as possible, which wasn't a hardship at all. “Her name is Heather and she's finally out of the tantrums every day phase. Our entire place is decorated in stickers, even in places she shouldn't be able to reach, but, well, she's my little charm.”

“Sounds nice, kids do brighten up a home…" _Oh thank God._ "...and the missus?”

Horrified, Clover clarified very quickly, “Nonexistent. No. Um, and it would be a mister, if anything? But there isn’t anyone like that.” _Yet..._

Qrow finally looked at him again, speculating. “Not into dating?”

“Only on special occasions,” he allowed himself to say. _Would a wink be too cheesy? Too forward? ...Well, it's too late to do it now without looking like a creep._

Qrow licked his lips, then seemed to smile to himself. “Probably couldn’t be more special than your little girl, huh?”

“Nope,” Clover replied honestly. He internally winced, thinking that maybe that’s not something you told someone you were trying to flirt with for the first time.

However, Qrow gave him his first full smile. “That’s great,” he approved in a genuine tone that curled into Clover’s chest. “You must be a great dad, Ebi. I respect that.”

_Ah, shit. There goes my heart._

* * *

A couple weeks later, after exchanging soft, cheerful greetings and a few curious words with Qrow every time they saw each other, Clover realized a massive oversight.

“Do _you_ have kids?” he asked a little louder than intended, hurrying to catch up with his neighbour. He assumed Qrow lived alone, but now that he thought about it, there always seemed to be multiple people inside his place when Clover passed by.

Qrow glanced at him, eyes full of mischief. “Yeah, I got eight, actually.”

He burst out laughing at Clover’s expression, a sight that quickly dissolved Clover’s shock.

“I have a family home near the coast with enough bedrooms,” he told Qrow. Just. Offering like that. Without _t_ _ _h_ inking_.

Red eyes crinkled at him good-naturedly. “Whoa, pal, I don't _actually_ have children. Just my nieces and nephews. They’re the noisy bunch that have been coming around.”

“Oh.”

_Stupid, stupid Clover._

They spent the next few minutes in silence, Clover trying to convince his shame to disappear, while also trying to figure how to salvage the utter fool he’d made of himself.

In the end, Qrow broke the silence first. “So...you _are_ flirting with me, right?”

Clover swallowed. “Well, I’m even worse at it then I thought, if you didn’t realize…”

“Nah, it’s just…” Qrow eyed the red, green and black bins in front of them. “...not the typical setting.”

“It’s been a while for me,” Clover admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”

Discouraged and broken-hearted even before he made any real progress, he plastered an easy smile he often wore to work. “Anyway, I gotta prepare Heather for daycare now…”

“Can I meet her sometime?”

Widening his eyes, Clover tried to read the other man's motive. When nothing but genuine interest could be found, he nodded. “Yeah, sure. Yes! In fact, now is good!” Even if nothing came out of this, it was _always_ a treat to show off his daughter. He grabbed Qrow’s wrist in excitement. “She’s always happy to meet new people.”

Qrow looked down at their hands, then gave him a surprised smile, scratching his head with the free hand. “I’m not really that interesting. Hopefully I don’t disappoint.”

“Nonsense, Mr. I-Handle-Eight-Kids,” Clover laughed, feeling much lighter now. “And anyway, you’re _plenty_ interesting.” He waved away the signs of protest. “You’ll see – my daughter is an excellent judge of character.”

He opened the door. “Heather!” he called, leading Qrow inside after they had taken off their shoes.

“Papa!” Heather ran to him for a hug, and Clover scooped her up. "I was folding the pretty paper Harriet gave me!"

“I'd love to see it, little charm, but first say hello to our visitor. He’s the new neighbour, remember?”

Heather gasped in delight. “You’re the trash man!”

Clover almost dropped her. “ _Heather–_ ”

A full-bellied chuckle came from Qrow, who eyed Clover with nothing that indicated offense. “Excellent judge of character indeed.” 

Clover set her on the floor, automatically brushing dust off her teal overalls. “Heather, you apolo–”

“It’s fine, no harm done,” Qrow interrupted him, leaning down to match her height. “Hello, Heather. My name is Qrow. I’m glad we didn’t have to meet each other while surrounded by smelly garbage.”

“Qrow,” Heather repeated, thinking over it for a while. “Like the trash bird?”

“Heather, that’s very _rude_.” Clover wanted to melt into the floor.

“Hm, your dad sure seems to like his trash a lot,” Qrow quipped, winking at him and making him feel like melting for an entirely different reason. 

_I like him. I like him so much. Help._

“Yeah,” he agreed. Again, without thinking.

“I thought that was rude, Papa?” 

Qrow, a blessing, distracted her. “I actually know a little origami. Maybe I can show you something sometime, lucky bug." _Lucky bug. He gave her a nickname. Marry me, please._

"Show me now! Papa, please?"

Clover shook his head, though it was always a hardship to refuse his daughter anything. "Sorry, Heather, but Papa has to go to work soon, and Mr. Branwen probably has things to do."

Heather pouted and crossed her little arms, and Qrow looked apologetic. "He's right, I still have a lot to unpack in my place. Sorry, you'll have to wait a little bit."

"You're still unpacking until now?"

Qrow stuck out his tongue at him, much to the Ebis' amusement, then ruffled Heather's hair before standing. "Soon, lucky bug, alright?"

"Papa?"

This time, Clover was glad to give the affirmative. "If we're lucky, Mr. Branwen will be around a lot."

Qrow blushed a pretty shade of pink.

"Heather," he suddenly said, seeming to steel himself for what he was about to say. "Can I ask you a question?"

“What is it, Mr. Branwen?”

“Uh, Qrow, please." He wasn’t looking at Clover, but Clover was definitely looking at him. "Can I have your permission to date your dad?”

Oh. _Oh._

“Um, does dating mean going out together for fun stuff and cuddling?”

“That could be arranged,” Qrow said softly, eyes darting to meet Clover's wide ones. 

“Okay! That’s what Papa says he wanted to do with you anyway, because you’re so pretty.”

Hands covering his face as he groaned, Clover once again chided his daughter. “Little charm, go to your room and take out what you want to wear today…”

“Heh, I think you and I are going to get along well, lucky bug.”

"Don't you gang up on me," he complained as Heather giggled.

But when he saw Qrow look fondly at his kid as she left, then turn to smile at him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that this was a _really, really good thing._

Later that night, when Winter called for her regular chats with Heather, he could feel her roll her eyes. 

_I can’t believe you got your daughter to set you up. With a keeper, too, by the sounds of it. You really have it too easy, Clover._

* * *

_Yup_ , he thought the next day, watching his little charm try to imitate the bird noises Qrow was making as they played. In their hands were the origami animals Qrow taught them to fold earlier.

Clover grinned at the memory of their teacher getting flustered when the two Ebis insisted they wanted to learn how to make paper crows.

_Guess I do have all the luck._

**Author's Note:**

> So that's Part 1. I'm already regretting Rule 4 ahaha.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day! Stay tuned for more.
> 
> Edited! 16 Feb 2020 in my zone. You know who got the short end of the stick here? Heather. She deserves more screen time, she should be able to show off her skills, she should be rewarded for ensuring that her papa gets his own daddy!!!! Love her.
> 
> Tumblr: [robiness](https://robiness.tumblr.com/)


End file.
